Red Funnel Lay-By Berth

AB Heritage was commissioned to undertake an Archaeology Desk Based Assessment in advance of proposed works to facilitate the construction of a lay-by berth alongside the existing Red Funnel ferry terminal.

This assessment was in response to Historic England advice which recommended the client assess the heritage resource in the area and the potential impact of the project on the historic environment.

The site presented unique challenges for the assessment.

The site was located below-water in the mouth of the Medina estuary. In response to this, AB Heritage combined a review of Historic Environment Record data and available historic mapping with deposit logs from previous geoarchaeological and geotechnical explorations.

This latter resource identified the presence of peat deposits radiocarbon dated to the Mesolithic relating to the past depositional sequence of the River Medina.

The report was able to show that during the modern period the site had mostly been underwater, with no shipwrecks or other sites recorded, while analysis of deposits across the estuary demonstrated that while peat was present on the site, it occurred in mixed pockets as opposed to well-sealed and consistent layers.

The Archaeological Desk Based Assessment concluded that there was a low likelihood of recovering archaeological remains. Coupled with the low impact nature of the work, the report concluded by recommending that no further work was necessary.